British regimental number research. First World War research. Military research. British Army regiments. Regimental numbering sequences between 1881 and 1918. Regimental number series. Other rank prisoners of war 1914.

Pages

29 May 2011

Cheshire Regiment 1881-1914 - 1st & 2nd Battalions -

This post will look at regimental numbering in the Cheshire Regiment which was formed on 1st July 1881 from the 22nd (the Cheshire) Regiment of Foot.

There are over 63,000Cheshire Regiment service and pension records(for this regiment - and its
antecedents) in various War Office series held at the National Archives.
Clicking on the link will take you to the results on Findmypast but you
will need a subscription or Pay-Per-View credits to actually view the
records. Some of these records can also be viewed on-line on Ancestry although
Findmypast has by far the most comprehensive service record collection.

Use the regimental numbers and dates on which these were issued, below,
to determine parameters for when your own Cheshire Regiment ancestor would
have joined up. Note though that these numbers are only for regular
enlistments. Special Reserve and Territorial Force battalions operated
completely separate regimental number sequences. George Henry Byrom (pictured above) was a Cheshire Regiment Special Reservist captured in 1914. You can read more about him by clicking on his name.

The newly formed regiment was established as the county regiment for Cheshire and started numbering from 1 in 1881.24 joined on 31st October 188173 joined on 20th January 1882396 joined on 17th January 1883984 joined on 11th January 18841391 joined on 5th January 18852165 joined on 1st February 18862498 joined on 12th January 18872617 joined on 26th November 18882675 joined on 1st July 18892868 joined on 15th January 18903277 joined on 7th March 18913562 joined on 6th January 18924224 joined on 7th April 18934629 joined on 13th February 18945041 joined on 9th April 18955204 joined on 8th February 18965394 joined on 15th February 18975669 joined on 22nd February 18986158 joined on 20th February 18996443 joined on 1st November 1900During the South African War, The Cheshire Regiment raised three volunteer service companies. Men joining these companies were issued with numbers in the following ranges:1st VSC: numbers within the range 7330 to 75262nd VSC: numbers within the range 7447 to 75783rd VSC: numbers within the range 7765 to 7780On 17th February 1900, the 1st VSC comprising three officers – Captain S Thornley, Lieutenant J Bates and Lieutenant J S Craig – and 113 men, embarked for South Africa aboard SS Gascon.6488 joined on 7th February 19016772 joined on 19th February 19027084 joined on 5th February 19037419 joined on 22nd February 19047868 joined on 7th February 19058099 joined on 11th January 19068232 joined on 21st January 19078850 joined on 8th January 19089170 joined on 16th February 19099408 joined on 7th February 19109658 joined on 27th June 191110002 joined on 26th November 191210103 joined on 27th May 191310523 joined on 3rd May 1914The First World WarWhen Britain went to war in August 1914, men joining the new service battalions were issued with numbers from the same series in use by the two regular battalions.Recruitment rates 1881-1911Between 1st July 1881 and 7th March 1891, The Cheshire Regiment recruited 3,277 men, an average of 336 soldiers a year. Although still well below the national average for the decade, this was nevertheless to be the regiment’s best showing.By 7th February 1901, the regiment had enlisted its 6,488th recruit and could claim an average recruitment rate for the decade of 324 men. A little over ten years later and the average recruitment rate had dropped again, this time to 307 men per annum. In total, between 1st July 1881 and 27th June 1911, The Cheshire Regiment recruited 9,658 men, well below the national average (353) at 322 men a year.1st Battalion stations 1881-19141881 Guernsey1883 Portland1885 Gibraltar1886 Egypt1887 Burma1891 Belgaum1895 Bellary1897 Secunderabad1901 Quetta1903 Bombay1904 Lichfield1909 Belfast1912 Londonderry1914 France & Flanders (from August)2nd Battalion stations 1881-19151881 Bengal1885 Solon1887 Burma1889 Sheffield1892 Aldershot1895 Buttevant1898 Limerick1899 South Africa1902 Aldershot1904 Madras1909 Schwebo (Burma)1911 Jubbulpore1915 France & Flanders (from January)I also offer a comprehensive, fast and cost-effective military history research service. Follow the link for more information.Further ReadingThe History of the Cheshire Regiment in the Great WarThe Cheshire Regiment - The First Battalion at Mons and the Miniature ColourCheshire Bantams - 15th, 16th & 17th Battalions, The Cheshire RegimentWar Record of the 1/5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment, August 1914 - June 1919

47 comments:

Mike Cairns
said...

My Grandfather, 2 Cheshire & 5 Cheshire had two army number 2322 with 2bn and 29 with 5bn. They seem out of kilter with those you publish as he was but a child when your records indicate these numbers were issued, ? the reason

His medfal index card shows 2322 and his RAF number 301422 which he joined in Sep 1918 - Apr 1920. The detail "29 Cpl J Hanley 5 Cheshire Regt" is from his TA Efficiency Medal. He went to France on 14 Feb 1915 with D Coy 5Cheshires.(Lt Col AV Churtons book). Trans to RFC in ?1917/18. His army records were amongst the "burnt" but his RAF Form 175 survives with minimal detail, stating prior service 2 Chesh 10 yrs and 5 Chesh 2 years. Thoughts?

Thanks for clarifying. So it doesn't actually state anywhere that 2322 is the number for the 2nd Bn. I'd suggest that that number dates to late Aug / early Sep 1914 for the 5th Bn and that he had seen prior service with a regular battalion. Depending on his age, his service record could have been:

Regular service with Cheshires, joining some time in the 1890s.

Joins 5th Bn in 1908 (possibly having already been a serving member of the Volunteer Force).

Time expired but rejoins the bn shortly after the outbreak of war and is given a new number.

Hi, I wonder if you can help me? I am researching CT Rolph who was according to the WW1 medal card index a WO clII of the Cheshire regiment and his no is given as 6449617, this seems rather long and he wasnt entitled to any medals.many thanks

It is a long number isn't it? It looks to be a number form the series issued in 1920 but that particular number falls within the block issued to the Royal Fusiliers (6446001-6515000). Note on his card that he was awarded the LS&GCM which is the Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. So no WW1 medal entitlement noted on this card but he was a long-serving soldier of at least 18 years.

Thanks for commenting. I can't find anything at all for a George Dewhurst / Cheshire Regiment. Do you have any other information at all? There are no men of this name noted on medal rolls as having served with the Cheshire Regiment.

I'm looking for information on a distant ancestor - Andrew Ryles 77693 who was with the 23rd Bn, Cheshire Regt when he died of pneumonia in Jan 1919. Can you please tell me when he would have enlisted, and I also understand that the 23rd was a 'Garrison Guard' battalion. What does that mean?

Hi PaulMy great grand father was CSM George Oakes Harp from Fenton who enlisted in Crewe, Kia 7/08/1915 Gallipoli , his name appears in the Cathedral roll of honour book and is recorded on the regimental chapel book to. His regimental number is 6089

Hi Paul,My great grandfather Sergeant William Edward Hogan was killed in action 8th may 1915 2nd battle of ypres, was trying to find out when he joined the army and also are there crosses/graves for the soldiers that died or just memorials? Thanks.

@Mark, it would be possible to work out when he joined the regiment that he was killed with. If he is a name on a memorial that's all that there will be, unless of course he is buried as an unidentified soldier; there are plenty of those.

My grandad was in the 7th bn of the Cheshire Regiment. His number and name was 4128708 Philip Ridgway. I have some of his medals including an Italian star and France/german star. He also told me before he passed away he fought in Burma and was at Dunkirk. I have a letter of outstanding good service issued to him from Montgomery on the 31st Aug 1945, which says that it will also be noted in his records. I am interested in finding out any more information on his service and would appreciate any advice or information you may have. Regards Paul Williams

I believe my grand father was in the Cheshire Regiment during the First World War, unfortunately I don't have any information other than his name - Jospeh James Cole. Would you have any further information on him please

Re William Jones, he is here: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/69797/jones,-william/. Download the war diary from The National Archives' website for more detail on the days leading up to his death.

Hi I am trying to find information on David Richard Lloyd born 8 April 1886 in Wrexham died 24 December 1911 in Wrexham from pneumonia. On his death certificate he is listed as a private in the Cheshire Regiment. We find this odd as living in the garrison RWF town of Wrexham we find it odd that he enlisted in an English regiment given the Welsh/English rivalry locally. Would details be held at the museum in Chester? Amy help would be appreciated

Oh right that is great. He and his siblings were a side of the family that we knew nothing about until a distant relative contacted us. I obtained his death certificate indicating his service with the Cheshires. We also have a bible dedicated to him by hs niece - there is a soldiers prayer in the dedication. He is buried we believe in our local church cemetary at Brymbo. We are however unsure of anything else. Are you able to disclose anything you know about David? Could you tell me whether any details regarding him are held at Chester military museum? I have tried a search for his service records but it doesnt seem to bring him up.Thanks for any help you can offer.

There is an entry for himinthe Soldiers Effects Register which you can access via Ancestry. It gives his regimental number and date of enlistment, the year was 1905, from memory.; also next of kin details.

Thank you so much for this. Its interesting that he enlisted in 1905 and would have been underage?? Maybe that is why he enlisted in the Cheshire's where no-one would have known him?

In addition maybe you can help me with finding a service record for my uncle George Matthews 4th Btn RWF died of wounds 24 March 1918. Born Wrexham 1894. I have tried to find the records but have been told they were in the ones destroyed. I have had his medal card and next of kin letter. Is it possible that you are able to provide his full service - I believe he served for the 4 years -I am told although he was a Lance Corporal he became a Sergeant on the Field. There is no family left to fill in the missing bits. He is buried at Dernencourt at Albert and he enlisted with his older brother John (Jack). I have the war diary produced by Capt C Ellis but would really like to know when and where he fought and how he died. If you can help I would really appreciate it. Regards Jeanette

Thank you for your additional comment, Jeanette. As you will hopefully have seen when posting on this blog, if your request is for information about a specific individual, please contact me via the research tab. There will certainly be more to say about these men.

Dear Paul,My Great Uncle Joseph Price of the Cheshire Regt, on his WW1 Victory Medal his Regt No is 2986, which would have him joining the Regt in 1890/1, he would have only been 5 years old approximately. I surmise from this that he was Territorial as my Mum is certain he served in Gallipoli so probably in the 1/4. Would that work or did Territorial numbers start with 6/7/8 or the 1/4 prefix?TIAPW

A family relative, Arthur Gerrard, joined the Cheshire Regiment on 11 Oct 1906 and was issued service number 8293. This seems out of kilter by some months with your published list. Any thoughts why this might be? He had 2 other service numbers (15301 and 268102)which seems consistent with new service numbers being issued to men joining a different battalion of the same regiment. After being wounded in 1915 with 2nd Btn, he joined 10th (Service) Btn in Nov 1916 and then, after only a matter of weeks, 6th Btn.

Hi, Am researching my grandfather, Harold Brierley DOB: 5/8/1900, believed to be in the Cheshire Regiment army number: 81721. He was from Oldham, Lancs. Family legend was that he lied about his age to enlist and served in both World Wars. I can find nothing on him for WW2. We have his campaign medals: British War medalVictory medal

These are both listed on his medal records, however, the British Medal has another persons name on it. It looks like 'J. Hopkins, Lancs Reg 3411'

Harold was also injured in France, WW2 and sent back to a hospital in England, my father and his mother, Harold's wife told me about visiting him there, but I again can find no record, nor of any pension records.

My guess is that The medal to 34116 John Hopkins is a replacement for his own medal, possibly lost. The MoD should have your grandfather’s papers for WW2 which may contain information about his Great War service.

7807550 is a seven-digit number and so that points to an army number issued from 1920. The MoD will be the place to enquire: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

My great grandfather Robert William McGinley joined the Cheshire Regiment on 22/02/1884. His regimental number was 1000. He was in the !st Battalion and served overseas in the Med., Egypt, The Andaman Islands, Burmah and India. His regular service ended in 1891 and joined the volunteer reserve in Birkenhead until 1896.

Thanks for that, Mike, I suspect he enlisted for 7&5, which would tie in with his colour service ending in 1891. He would then have been a reservist until 1896 and was probably discharged on the 21st Feb 1896 having served exactly 12 years.

Further to my post of 10th Feb 2020. Would my great grandfather have earned a medal for his overseas service? How would I find out? Also do you know of any sources on the operations of the 1st Battalion in Burma during the 1880’s?

Mike McG. If your great grandfather was serving with the 2nd Bn overseas between 1887-89 he could have taken part in the Burma Campaign and if he did, he would have earned a medal. Medal rolls are in WO 100 at The National Archives. Some of these are ion Ancestry but I don't believe this medal roll is. As for books, have a look on the Naval & Military Press website.

Find your ancestor! Search 9bn records.

RESEARCH ASSISTANCE

"I'm really pleased with the work you have provided, it's been worth every penny and is an excellent service that I would recommend to anyone interested. Instead of just having a picture and a grave, it really feels like my great uncle George's war service has come to life. Thank you."

ANTIQUARIAN MILITARY BOOKS!

Military books for sale

RESEARCH SERVICE

"I’m impressed with the level of detail that you have found and your report provides a great summary of their contents, which would otherwise have been very difficult to piece together. When I last tried to track his records down I was told they were all lost."

I research soldiers! For help in tracing YOUR military ancestor, please visit the RESEARCH tab on this blog.

Follow this blog

SEARCH BRITISH ARMY PHOTOS 1850-1920

Search over 11.6m records. Add photographs.

On this site

british army regiments WW1 world war 1 first world war great war regimental numbers army numbers boer war enlistment dates british regiments british soldiers british forces war records army research british military history records volunteer service companies volunteer battalion territorial force TF military genealogy military ancestry ancestors army ancestry Victorian army queen victoria soldiers of the queen ww1 centenary military history blog

WW1 Medal Index Cards 1914-1920First World War campaign medal entitlement details for close to 5 million men. You'll find ALL of a man's regimental numbers indexed here. Ancestry's search is limited to the last number a man was issued with; a serious failing.

The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was born on 1st July 1881. The 1st Battalion was created out of the old 102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fus...

Regimental Numbers

When did my relative enlist? When did my grandfather join up? On what date did he join his regiment?

A man's regimental number can tell you a lot about when he joined and even which battalion he joined. Note however, that there is a distinction between "enlisted" and "joined".

A man would generally enlist once - and be given a regimental number - or army number - on joining his regiment. If he joined another regiment he would be given a different number.

He could even be given a different number if he joined another battalion of the same regiment. In all probability this number would not be unique and could be repeated in many battalions and regiments throughout the British Army.

This blog aims to guide the researcher through the maze of regimental numbers issued by the British Army between 1881 and 1918.

The Army Service Numbers Database

The Army Service Numbers database is a database of British Army regimental numbers. This has been compiled from original sources, principally WO 363, WO 364, WO 96, WO 97 and WO 372 at the National Archives in London.

The database covers most units of the British Army which issued regimental numbers between the years 1881 and 1918: Infantry Regiments, Cavalry and Yeomanry, Royal Artillery and Royal Army Medical Corps.

What you will find on this blog is data from a far larger data set - generally one number per year up until 1914 and then one number per month from August 1914 onwards.

As general rules:

1. Army Service Numbers for regular battalions are uncomplicated and largely sequential up until 1914.

2. Numbering in the British Army becomes more complicated from December 1915.